Multiple needle tufting machines



Aug. 11, 1959 M. B. PENMAN 2,898,876

MULTIPLE NEEDLE TUFTING MACHINES Filed July 26, 1954 .4 Sheets-Sheet 1 l [A E J a: 1 v 3| 2 I l l7 bum ATTORNEY M. B. PENMAN MULTIPLE NEEDLE TUFTING MACHINES Aug. 11, 1959 4 SheetsSheet 2 Filed July 26. 1954 INVENTOR flan i'gomery B. Pen/nan ATTORNEY Aug. 11', 1959 M. B. PENMAN 2,898,876

7 MULTIPLE NEEDLE TUFTING MACHINES Filed July 26. 1954 4 Sheets-Sheet s 46 INVENTOR floni'g emery B. Penman ATTORNEY Aug. 11, 1959 M. B. PENMAN MULTIPLE NEEDLE TUFTING MACHINES 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed July 26. 1954 INVENTOR floni'gomery B. Pen man ATTORNEY Patented Aug. '11, 1 95 9 MULTIPLE NEEDLE 'TUFTING I'Montgomery B. Penman, Bloomsburg, Pa., assignor to The Magee Carpet Company, Bloomshurg, Pa., acorporation of Pennsylvania Application July 26, 1954, Serial No. 445,168

Claims. c1. 112-79 ,by pulling yarn from the loops in a preceding row thus reducing the height of those loops from which yarn is pulled.

A further object of theinvention resides in providing electronic operated means for gripping and holding the yarns supplied to the needles of themachine and a pattern controlled circuit making and breaking mechanism for controlling the .electronic operating means.

Another object of the invention resides in providing a machine of the above-mentioned character which is simple inconstruction, reliable and efficientzin operation and inexpensive to manufacture.

.Other objects and advantages of the invention will be lapparent during the courseof the following description.

In the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification and in which like numerals-are employed to designate like parts throughout the same,

Fig. l is a 'front elevational View of a tufting machine showin my'in'iprovemeiit applied thereto,

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the same,

Fig. 3 is an end view of the machine,

Fig. 4 is a vertical section taken on line 44 of Fig. 1,

Fig. 5 is a detail view partly in section of the yarn gripping means,

Fig. 6 is a section taken on line 66 of Fig. 3, with parts in section,

Fig. 7 is a detail view of the circuit controller,

Fig. 8 is a section taken on line 88 of Fig. 3,

Fig. 9 is a vertical section through the base plate of the machine showing the needle and looper,

Fig. 10 is a detail view of the pattern controlled circuit making and breaking mechanism for controlling the yarn gripping means,

Fig. 11 is a top plan view of the mechanism shown in Fig. 10,

Fig. 12 is an end view of the mechanism shown in Fig. 10, and,

Fig. 13 is a diagram of the electric circuit.

Referring to the drawing wherein for the purpose of illustration a preferred embodiment of the invention is shown, the numeral 5 denotes the head of a tufting machine which supports a vertically reciprocating needle bar 6 that is reciprocated upon rotation of the shaft 7 extending longitudinally of the head. The needle bar 6 supports a series of needles 8 which upon reciprocation of the needle bar pass through the slot 9 in the throat pipe 10 mounted on the bed 11 of the machine. A conventional through the aperture.

2 workfeedin'g mechanism, not shown, moves the fabric workpiece 12 across the slot of the throat plate when the needles 'are in a raised position.

The yarns 13 which are'threaded-through'the eyes of the needles are supplied'from a 'creel'or other source of supply. When the needles carryingthe yarns move'downwardly through the fabric 12, loopers 14 mounted on shaft 15 are-oscillated to move "the hooks 16 between the yarn and needle, so that when the needles move upwardly the yarns are held by the loopers to form loops on the underside of the fabric. Before the needles start to descend to form the next row of loops the fabric is moved rearwardly and the loopers are oscillated to disengage the hooks 16 from the loops just formed. The mechanism just described is conventional in the art of tu'fting' machines and produces a fabric having a loop 'pile surface, the-loops in each row all being the same length -or height.

Referring more particularly to my invention, a yarn gripping or holding mechanism is mounted on thehe-ad 5 ofthe machine bet-vveen the sourceof yarn supply and the needles8. The mechanisrneomprisesaframe '17 mounted on the head which supports a horizontal platform -18 in spaced verticalarelation to the head andabovethe needles.

An elongated block 19 is mounted on the platform in the .centerthereof having a series1of .fixed shafts 20 projecting from opposite-sides of the block. The ends of the shafts 20 are reduced, :as at 21, and the reducedends have trans verse apertures 22 through which the yarns 13 pass lead- .ment with the fixed shafts 20. The reciprocatingarmature.24 of each .solenoidiisqrecessed in one end, as 311125, .to slidably receive thereduced-endliioftheopposedfixed shaft .20. When a solenoid is energized the armature moves towards the fixed :shaft firmly grippingt-he "yarn passing through the aperture 22 to hold the yarnagainst movement. Upon de-ienergizing of the solenoid, the armature releases the yarn so that it .is free to move Extending upwardly from the platform 18 are posts 26 that support .a guide plate .27

having apertures 28 along opposite :edges through which theyarns-extend. Aguiderod 29 is mounted in brackets 30 above the plate 27 :over which the yarns leading toione side of the plate are trained. Between :the plate 2.7 and platform 18 are guide rings 31 extending from opposite edges of a plate 32 mounted on posts 26. The rings 31 guide the yarns to the apertures 22 and below the platform 18 on the side of the head 5 of the machine are vertically spaced apertured guide plates 33 and 3 4 for guiding the yarns to the needles 8.

As shown in Figs. 10, 11 and 12, a circuit making and breaking mechanism for controlling the energizing of the solenoids 23 includes a drum 35 of suitable conducting material having a shaft 36 connected by gearing 37, 38 to the main shaft 7 of the machine. A series of contact pins 39, one for each of the solenoids, are slidably mounted in a support plate 40 mounted above the drum. Spring arms 41 fastened at one end to the plate, as at 42, have their free ends extending through transverse apertures in the pins 3 and normally force the pins downwardly into contacting engagement with the drum 35. A pattern sheet 43, of non-conducting material, surrounds the drum 35 having a series of elongated circumferential slots 44 through which the contact pins 39 are adapted to drop upon rotation of the drum and thereby selectively control the energizing of the solenoids. A control cam 45 is mounted on the shaft 7 having a cam surface 46 for engagement with the spring arm 47 of a micro-switch 48 in circuit with the solenoids.

The electric circuit for controlling the solenoids is shown in Fig. 13 and includes a source of electric current 49 connected by'wire 50 tothe drum 35. Each of the contact pins 39 is connected by a wire 51 to a solenoid 23 and the solenoids are connected by wire 52 with the micro-switch 48 which through wire 53 is connected to the source of current. The control cam 45 times the closing of the circuit to the solenoids in accordance with the movementof the needles, the circuit being closed at the time the needles are about to start on their downward stroke. thereon controls the selective energizing of the solenoids to determine which of the yarns are to be arrested in their movement in accordance with a pattern.

In operation, as the needles start to move downwardly, the control cam 45 closes the electric circuit of the solenoids and those solenoids whose contact pins 39 have dropped through the slots 44 of the pattern sheet 43 will be energized. The armatures 24 of the solenoids energized will be moved to grip and hold the yarns 13 pass- .ing through the apertures 22 of the shafts 20, so that these yarns will be held against the pulling stress of the downwardly moving needles. The pull on the yarns in the direction of the source of supply having been arrested the downward movement of the needles will pull the yarns from the opposite direction thereby reducing the length of the loops in a previously formed row of loops and thus supply yarn for forming the loops in the row just being formed. The elongated slots in the pattern sheet are arranged in accordance with a pattern to selectively operate the solenoids and arrest the yarns to form high and low loops in the pile surface of the fabric in accordance with the pattern. While the improved mechanism is shown applied to a machine having a small number of needles it is apparent the same may be incorporated in machines having a large number of needles such as now employed in making carpets. It is to be understood the form of the invention herein shown and described is a preferred example of the same and changes in the shape, size and arrangement of the parts may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention or scope of the claims.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. In a multiple needle tufting machine comprising a plurality of reciprocating needles, means for directing yarn to said needles, means for reciprocating said needles to pass the yarns through a base fabric, loopers for releasably holding the yarns passed through the base fabric to form loops, a series of shafts fixedly mounted above said needles, each shaft having a transverse passage there- The drum 35 with the pattern sheet 43 V 4 1 through for passing a yarn leading to a needle, and series of solenoids having reciprocating armatures slidably mounted on said shafts to extend over the ends of the passages to grip and hold the yarns in the passages against movement.

2. In a multiple needle tufting machine as described in claim 1 including means for selectively energizing said solenoids.

3. In a multiple needle tufting machine comprising a plurality of reciprocating needles, means for directing yarn to said needles; means for reciprocating said needles to pass the yarns through a base fabric, loopers for releasably holding the yarns passed through the base fabric to form loops, a series of shafts fixedly mounted above said needles, each shaft having a transverse passage therethrough for passing a yarn leading to a needle, and a series of solenoids having reciprocating armatures provided with tubular ends slidably fitted on said shafts to extend over the ends of the passages to grip and hold the yarns in the passages against movement.

4. In a multiple needle tufting machine as described in claim 3 including means for selectively energizing said solenoids.

5. In a multiple needle tufting machine comprising a plurality of reciprocating needles, means for directing yarn to the needles, means for reciprocating said needles to pass the yarns through a base fabric, loopers for releasably holding the yarns passed through the base fabric to form loops, a series of shafts having a transverse passage through which the yarns leading to the needles pass, a yarn gripping member slidably mounted on each of said shafts for movement over the ends of the passage through said shaft to grip and hold the yarn, and means for independently operating said gripping members to selectively grip and hold the yarns against movement.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,014,050 Davis Jan. 9, 1912 1,831,485 Dykeman Nov. 10, 1931 1,863,049 Hermann June 14, 1932 1,909,531 Gladish May 16, 1933 1,917,411 Weis July 11, 1933 1,984,330 Boyce Dec. 11, 1934 2,781,007 Thompson Feb. 12, 1957 2,784,689 MacCaifray Mar. 12, 1957 2,876,183 Parlin Mar. 3, 1959 

